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Jan 10, 2021 — Thimble Peak is easily seen when driving through Death Valley National Park, but relatively few get to its summit. For one, it requires driving the long and NPS-advertised "4WD" road (honestly probably passenger cars could make it, going slow at one or two short sections), and it's not an official trail by any means. However, being a one-way road, I can't say I'd recommend going for it without a proper vehicle. The route to the summit is well-defined, and boasts likely one of the best Death Valley views I've seen to date.
Starting from Red Pass, I headed south along a trail that brought me to just below the summit of Thimble's Shadow. Being so close, I left the trail to see the true summit, and was awarded with nice views toward Corkscrew Peak and Titanothere Peak. I then got back to the trail and dropped a few hundred feet to the saddle with Thimble Peak. I'd have to regain this on the way back, of course. The trail continued without issue until the last few hundred feet to the summit, where it became slightly more difficult to follow. There is a single Class 2+ move without any exposure, but otherwise it's a nice Class 1/2 limestone scramble on loose rock to the summit.
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